By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Dennis Agbo, the member representing Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency of Enugu be be sworn-in on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 for the second time as member of the 10th House of Representatives by the Speaker Hon.Tajudeen Abbas after legal tussles with both PDP and APC.
This followed the issuance of certificate of return (CoR) to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) on Friday afternoon at commission’s Headquarters by the Hon. National Commissioner for South East, Kenneth Nnamdi Ukeagu on behalf the Chairman, Professor Mamood Yakutia.
Hon. Agbo of the Labour Party, (LP) floored his Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) counterpart, Engineer Simon Atigwe at the Enugu Division of Appeal Court on Wednesday to consolidate his earlier victory at the Re-run Election Tribunal in Abakaliki after the February 3, 2024 re-run election in the constituency.
Hon. Agbo was the man who had the original mandate of his people to represent Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency with an overwhelming votes in February 2023 National Assembly Election.
That mandate was subsequently truncated in November, 2023 on the strength of an appeal filed against him by Oby Aji, the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) who came a distant third in the February 25th, 2023 election.
The APC candidate’s ground of appeal was her party logo was omitted in the result sheets used in 165, out of the 532 polling units of the constituency during the February 25, 2023 National Assembly election.
The Appeal Court consequently ordered a rerun in the affected polling units within 90 days.
The rerun was eventually conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the 3rd of February, 2024. The rerun election became heavily marred by gross irregularities intended to return Hon. Atigwe at all cost.
With incontrovertible evidences in pictures and videos Hon. Agbo contested the outcome of the election and won at the Re-run Election Tribunal but Atigwe appealed the judgement which has also ended in Labour Party candidate’s favour.